Door-check.



L F. MULLANE'Y.

DOOR CHECK.

- APPLICATION FILED AUG 2.1909. 1 1@ Patented June 22, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- WITNESSES. INVENTOR. M John F MU//0/76)/ w/ffip B W IZ WW7 ATTORNEY.

THE NoRklS PETERS 00., PH07U-LITHO.. WASHINGTON, D. C

J. F. MULLANEY.

DOOR CHECK. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 12. 1909.

Patented J 11116 22, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

i A J/ U m WITNESSES.- INVENTOR.

W A TTOR/VEY.

l n L: ,IGRRIS PETERS CU. PHOTULITHD" WASHINGTON ribs.

JOHN F. MULLANEY, OF COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO.

DOOR-CHECK.

inaems.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 22, 1915..

Application filed August 12, 1909. Serial No. 512,586.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN F. MULLANEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at 741 East Cache La Poudre street, in the city of ColoradoSprings, in the county of El Paso and State of Colorado, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Door- Checks, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in holders, for doors, gates,shutters and win dows, in which a broad fiat spring is fastened at bothends upon a door, gate, shutter or window, near the swing edge of sameor on some moving part thereof, and the central or curved part 'of thespring is adjustably made to press against the floor, under the door, oragainst some permanent immovable fixture, near the door, or otheraperture closing appliance, so as to cause a friction thereon to retardthe movement of the door, or stop its movement entirely by means offriction or looking screws as desired; and the objects of my inventionare: first, to prevent a door from slamming ab ruptly; second, toprevent a door or window from moving from a desired position; third, toprevent noise of the door when closing it; fourth, to prevent a door orwindow from making a rattling noise when influenced by the wind or otherpower; fifth, to hold the door, gate, window, or other aperture closingappliance, rigidly or adjustably, in any desired position, when closed,partially'opened or entirely opened; sixth, to hold the gate or dooropen adjustably at any desired position and have it movable, withoutdigging the floor or ground under the gate or tearing the carpet on thefloor under the door, and to provide an automatic release of the doorholder. I attain these objects by the mechanism and appliancesillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1, is a side elevation of the edge of a door with proper parts ofthe holder shown attached thereto; Fig. 2, is a side elevation of thespring B, loosed and in its nor- 7 mal shape, with dotted lines showingthe bottom of the swing edge of a door, and the position to be assumedby the arm 3, when put into place; Fig. 3, is a side elevation of theholder, attached to the lower swing edge of a door, and in positioncompressed down against the floor carpet, 16 and 16, and engaging one ofthe locking screws 33; Fig. 4, IS an inside or rear elevation of theholder, on theinside of the door A, showing the spring B, released andup into the casing 8; F 1g. 5, is an edge view of the casing 8, with itsface plate 9, disconnected from all other parts, and in the relativeposition as shown 1n Fig. 3; Fig. 6, is a flat side elevation of the arm3, of the spring B, the staple 19., and tension nail 30, with part ofthe spring B, removed at the crimp. 5, and showing the teeth 18, 18, inarm 3; Fig. 7 is a side view of staple 12, and tension nail 30, showinga cross sectional view of the arm 3, of spring B; Fig. 8, is a sideelevation of the holder, and of its parts attached to the lower swingedge of the door A, and showing carpet 16; with the spring B, engagingone of the locking screws 33; Fig. 9, is a side elevation of the holderand the swing edge of door A, showing the bottom part 2, of spring B, ofthe holder compressed upwardly, between the lower edge of door A, andthe threshold 22, when the door is closed; Fig. 10, shows the arm 3, ofthe spring B, of the holder, in use without the casing 8, onthe lowerend of the swing edge of the door; with the bottom curve 2, of thespring B, placed near the swing wall, and past the retention block 26,but not low enough to engage the locking screw 33; Fig. 11, is a topview of a part of bottom curve 2, of spring B, showing slotshaped hole32, made to engage the head of one of the locking screws 33; Figs. 1, 2,3, 4, represent the principal parts of the spring B, of the holder. 7

A, is the lower end of the swing edge of the door.

Similar letters and figures refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

The spring B, is a broad flat elastic spring (usually of metal), whichmay be in width from one half inch to two inches or more, and itsaggregate length may vary from three inches to twenty inches, or more,and may vary proportionally in thickness from one eightieth of an inchto one eighth of an inch or more, depending upon the size of the door orgate, and the resistance to be overcome. The spring B, is fastenedrigidly to the front of the door by means of nails, screws, or clamps,as desired, and at the back is adjustably attached by means of staple12, and of the tension nail 30, engaging notches in the arm 3, which isthe terminal arm of the spring B. This arm 8, 1s guarded from thecontents of the room or from passers by, by means of the guard 8,

and its base plate 9. When the spring B, is released from the tensionnail 30, the bottom curve 2, will rise up against the under edge of thedoor A, by reason of assuming its normal shape, so that the bottom curve2 will clear above the floor. In this position the door can be swungopen and shut without interference with the floor, as though the holderwere not on the door.

When it is desired to keep the door from slamming, the operator presseshis foot upon the step crimp 5, and forces it down, thus forcing downthe bottom curve 2, against the floor'to the desired tension, and thusmaintains the pressure by forcing the teeth in the rack in arm 3,against the side of tension nail 30, until one of the rack teeth 18,engages the tension nail 30, where it w ll be rigidly held'by the upwardpressure of the bottom curve 2. The side motion of the foot on the stepcurve 4, will engage or release the teeth 18, 18, as desired.

To cause the door to be held rigidly, partly opened, the step crimp 5,is pressed down very forcibly by the foot or otherwise,

to the position as shown inFig. 3, and locked in that position byforcing one of the rack teeth 18, to engage the tension nail 80, or

it may be locked more rigidly to any position by inserting one of thelocking screws 33, in the path of the bottom curve 2, so as to engagethe slot-shaped hole 82, which is situated longitudinally in the lowestpart of the bottom curve 2 so that the head of the screw .33, willproject through the hole 32.

' crimp 5, is so sharply formed by the spring B, being bent doubly uponitself, that it may be forced clear down to the floor without breaking,and is rounded, so as to be free from catching upon passing objects.

hen the door is closed over the threshold 22, as shown in Fig. 9, thebottom curve 2, of the spring B, is forced up against the under edge ofthe door A, either by being released from the tension nail 30, or bycoming into contact with the threshold plate 23, which threshold plateis to prevent wear on the threshold and is held in place by nails 24,and 25, or by screws or other suitable means. The lower front crimp 7,is situated at a reasonable distance above the level of the top of thethreshold 22, so that it will slide over the threshold or over a carpetor over a mat, or other obstruction upon the floor, without shoving it,or rolling it up, and when used under a gate or other swinging door, itwill slide over obstructions on the floor or ground, and will keep thegate in the desired position and will support the swing end of a widegate. The step crimp 5, of spring B, is arranged so far above the fioorthat it will pass over the carpet or mat or other obstruction on thefloor without shoving it.

F ig. 10, shows the door A, shoved back nearly against the swing wall29, and shows the retention block 26, fastened to the floor on the linetraversed by the bottom curve 2, of spring 13, so that when the bottomcurve 2, is held down against the carpet by means of the teeth 18, 18,of arm 3, engaging with tension. nail 30, by means of notches 19, 19, itmay pass over retention block 26, by great force being applied, butwhen. resting between said retention block 26, and the swing wall 29, itwill remain there until removed by some greater force than a commonwind, or than the power of a child. This holder is intended to beserviceable in preventing small children from shutting the door on theirfingers, or the fingers of a playmate, and for preventing the door fromslamming and breaking the glass, or making a noise, etc., and forpreventing doors in railway cars from moving, and windows from slidingup or down when not desired. One or more holders may be used on one doorand on different parts of the door as desired. With other holders ofwhich I am acquainted, there is this distinction; the door can not beslid without tearing the carpet when the holder is in contact with thefloor, while this holder, no matter how rigidly held down, will slideover the carpet or mat, by the application of sufficient force andwithout tearing it, and the door with this holder, can be closed, bygreat force, sliding the bottom curve 2, up over the threshold 22, andwithout breaking the holder, unless engaging one of the locking screws83, which may project about one eighth of an inch above the floor andcan be screwed down out of reach of the spring B, when desired, orcovered with a mat or cloth, so that it will not be engaged.

The surface or face of the door check is of smooth hard material. ashardened steel, and will not retain particles of grit or dust that mightscratch or wear a. smooth floor or carpet, but the dust or grit will beheld on the floor or carpet and will not be shoved or slid on the flooror carpet and so will tend to scratch or wear the surface of the doorcheck instead of the floor or carpet as the dust will slide on the hardsmooth surface and be pressed into a softer or rougher surface.

The rack guard 8, and its base plate 9, are fastened at the top, throughcrimp 10, by means of screws or of nails 11, and at the bottom of thebase plate 9, it is held against the door by means of the shoulders onthe two points of staple 12, passing through the edges thereof, near thelower end, and by means of lower crimp 15, of guard 8, passing up overthe top of the head of said staple 12, and by means of tension nail 30,passing through the guard 8, and its base plate 9, leaving a free openchannel between the guard S, and its base plate 9, for the passage ofarm 3, of the spring B.

The holder can be successfully used by attaching it to the swing edge ofa door or gate so as to engage the door post or gate post, instead ofengaging the floor, or the ground as is often the case, under the end ofa wide gate, and can be made to engage any suitable permanent fixtureinstead of the floor. A block may be attached to the inside of a windowsash and the holder attached to the upper and lower edges of the block,in such a manner that the bottom curve 2, will engage the j amb of thewindow frame. The same manner of appliance is used on a r1s1ng andfalling door or shutter,

or one that moves vertically, like a port cullis. The door check in suchcases may be used for the purposes of adding only sufficient friction asis necessary to overcome the difference between the weight of the windowor door and the weight of its counterweights, or it may have the lockingpins 33, to secure the door or window rigidly at some desired positionor positions, or for both such purposes.

In doors not needing the protection of the guard 8, it may be omittedand the staple 12, may also be omitted, and only the tension nail 30,used to attach the arm 3, to the inside of the door. In this condition,the arm 3, is retained from slipping off over the tension nail30, by.reason of the long T-head 17, on the tension nail 30, Fig. 7 If desired,

a nail with a broad fiat head, of any desired shape, may be used insteadof a nail with a T-shaped head, for the purposes of the tension nail 30.

The arm 3, is stiffened by means of the raised ribs 35, and 36, shown inFig. 6, and Fig. 7. outwardly as shown in Fig. 10, at 34:, soas not todig into the door A, or other surface with which it may come intocontact, and to stiffen it. The tension nail 30, may also be providedwith a screw point, when preferred to a common driving nail point, wherethe screw is preferable so as to turn the head 17, so as to adjust it tothe desired distance from the door A. When desired, the bottom curve 2,may be made thicker at the wearing and friction surface than the rest ofthe spring B.

The top or end of the arm 3, is bent I claim l. A broad flat member ofelastic material permanently bent upon itself so as to have its endsclose together and attached to opposite faces of a door or gate near theswing edge thereof, one of its ends being secured thereto rigidly andthe other end being adjustably secured to the opposite face of said dooror gate, the part of said member intermediate its ends being formed intoa projecting curve extending around and free from the swing edge of saiddoor or gate, and adapted to engage some fixture while said door isopen, as a floor, for the purpose of arresting the motion of said dooror gate.

2. In a door check, a spring in a horseshoe shape, rigidly attached to adoor, or other aperture-closing appliance, at one end by an attachingarm, and adjustably attached to said door, or other aperture-010singappliance, at its opposite end, by means of teeth in the adjustable arm,engaging a pin in said door, the curved-shaped form of the said springbeing adapted to engage some fixture to arrest the motion of the saiddoor, or other aperture-closing appliance, substantially as set forthand for the purposes specified.

3. In a door check, of the class described, a spring, having one of itsends secured rigidly to the face of a door or window sash, and havingconvolutions near said end, and having in its opposite end an elongatedslot with rack teeth in one side adapted to engage a rigid pinprojecting from the opposite face of said door or window sash, a convexslot-shaped hole, stiffening inturned ribs, on either side of saidslot-shaped hole, in combination with a locking screw, permanentlysecured to some fixture, in the path of the slot-shaped hole, andprovided to en gage same, all substantially as set forth.

4. In a door check, of the class described, a door, a fiat spring memberhaving one end rigidly secured near the swing edge of the door, andbeing bent upon itself so that its connecting curve projects from and embraces one edge of said door, and having its opposite end attached tosaid door adjustably by means of teeth in a longitudinally arranged slotin said spring near its end, in combination with a nail with a T shapedhead, said head adapted to prevent said flat spring from slipping oversaid nail, said nail passing through said slot into said door in amanner to engage said teeth, said connecting spring having a hole in theportion farthest projecting from the said door, adapted to engage alocking screw projecting from the floor in the path of the spring, aprojecting obstruction attached rigidly to the floor or other stationarystructure in the path of said connecting curve, to engage same to retardits passage but not projecting enough to engage the said door, incombination with a housing inc-losing the adjustable end of said spring,all substantially as set forth.

5. In a door check, the combination of a flat spring member, oneend ofwhich is permanently secured to one face of the door near a swing edgethereof, the opposite end of said spring having an elongated slot, thesaid slot being provided with rack teeth adapted to engage a pin in saiddoor to adjustably attach said spring to said pin, the part of saidspring intermediate its ends being bent around said swing edge of thedoor and projecting therefrom so that it may proj ect yieldingly againstsome fixture to arrest said door, while open, said spring being soformed normally as to withdraw from said fixture and hug the swing edgeof the door when released from said pin, a protecting shield coveringthe adjustable end of said spring, a hole in the curved part of saidspring provided to receive the end of a looking pin projecting from saidfixture, and adapted to arrest the motion of said spring, a projectingcorrugation extending outwardly'at right angles to the plane line of theadjustable end of said spring adapted to be engaged by the human foot orhand to adjustsaid spring with said rack teeth and said pin as provided,substantially as set forth and for the purposes specified.

6. As an article of manufacture, a longfiat member of spring materialbent into the form of an irregular bow, having a short arm, perforatedwith holes, adapted to receive nails to fasten it rigidly to the face ofsome aperture-closing appliance, and having the other extremityor longarm of said bow straight, being connected with the former said arm bythe connecting convex curve of said bow, and while in its normal shape,the long arm extending inclined toward the extended line of the shortarm, said long arm having a longitudinal slot provided on one edge withrack teeth tending toward its end, and the connected part of the saidlong arm having a concave curve connection about one half the length ofthe long arm and extending outwardly at about right angles to the lineof the said long arm and forming an acute crimp at its outer end withthe outer end of the bow or main connecting curve and adapted to beengaged by the human foot, the center of the said main connecting curvebeing provided with a slot-shapedhole extending longitudinally andadapted to receive the end of a pin, and with inward projecting ribs oneither side of said hole, adapted to stiffen the spring, allsubstantially as set forth.

7. In a door check, a fiat piece of spring metal having one of its endssecured rigidly and the other secured adjustably upon opposite faces ofa door, gate, or similar aperture-closing appliance, and having itscurved center extending around the edge of the same, adapted to engage,by friction and pressure, some fixture, for the purpose of arresting themotion of said door, gate or similar aperture-closing appliance, andhaving near its adjustable end a projection adapted to be engaged by thehuman foot or hand to adjust it, substantially as set forth.

8. As an article of manufacture, a Hat piece of spring metal bentapproximately in a horse-shoe shape, one of its ends adapted to berigidly and its other end to be secured adjustably upon the oppositefaces of a door, a step formed integrally near its adjustable-endadapted to be engaged by the human foot, a curved central part adaptedto extend around the edge of the door and to adjustably projecttherefrom, and adapted to engage yieldingly, by pressure, some fixture,as the floor of a room, to arrest the motion of the door, to be used incombination with a raised fixture in the floor near the swing wall ofthe door and in the path of said spring metal member and adapted toengage said curved central member to prevent the door from swinging fromthe swing wall, but not projecting high enough to engage the doorproper, all substantially as set forth and for the purposes specified.

9. In a door check of the class described, a spring member in the formof an irregular bow adapted to have one of its ends socured adjustablyand the other end secured rigidly to opposite faces of the door, incombination with the projecting bow part intermediate said ends, and ahard, thick and smooth surfaced part on said projecting bow adapted toengage by friction some fixture in its path to retard the movement ofthe door upon which it is secured, substantially as set forth and forthe purposes specified.

10. As an article of manufacture, a long fiat strip of spring metal bentinto the form of an irregular bow, having a short arm, perforated withholes, adapted to receive nails, and having the other extremity or longarm straight, being connected with the former said arm by the connectingconvex curve of said how, and having secured near its adjustable end astep adapted to be engaged by the human foot, and while in its normalassumed shape, the long arm extending inclined toward the extendedcourse of the short arm, said long arm having a longitudinal slotprovided with rack teeth, adapted to engage a projecting T-headed pin onone face of a door, substantially as set forth.

11. In a door check of the class described, the combination of a flatspring member having one of its ends secured rigidly and the other endsecured adjustably upon opposite faces of a door, gate, or similaraperture-closing appliance, and having its convex curved centerextending around the edge of the same, adapted to engage, by ing housinginclosing said adjustable end, friction and pressure, some fixture, andhavsubstantially as set forth.

ing near its adjustable end an outward pro- JOHN F. MULLANEY. jectionadapted to be engaged by the human Vitnesses:

foot or hand to adjust it, a fixed pin pro- J. L. SGHAEFER,

jecting from some fixture adapted to engage H. K. WING,

a hole in said curved center with a protect- RUTH ALTGHISON.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Eateutu Washington, D. G.

